Quirky Darryl Sutter is still grooving with Los Angeles Kings

Darryl Sutter of the Los Angeles Kings looks on against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game One of the Western Conference Final during the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at United Center on May 18, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

EL SEGUNDO — Alec Martinez remembered his initial impression of Darryl Sutter. He was conducting his first interview session with reporters following his midseason hiring after Terry Murray was fired.

Something he did at the end caused Martinez to laugh.

“I just remember at the end of his inaugural press conference flashing the double peace sign,” Martinez said with another laugh.

From that moment Martinez, his teammates and fans got their first taste of the quirky Sutter.

Darryl Sutter is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get. Except for postseason success, Sutter is a mystery worth trying to solve.

Sutter has the Kings leading Chicago 2-1 in the Western Conference Finals with Game 4 today at Staples Center. The Kings are two wins away from the Stanley Cup Finals, which they won for the first time in 2012. And they’ve made the conference finals in Sutter’s three years behind the bench.

You can’t make a scrunched Sutter face at those statistics.

Sutter can be awkward, quirky, engaging and funny. Other times, he can be like Jonathan Quick: gruff, short and not one bit insightful. He always knows what he’s doing.

Especially with the Kings, whether it’s pushing their buttons or using the break after a sluggish period to say nothing at all. And likely throw in a disgruntled facial expression or two.

He does many things well.

“He’s all about motivation and preparation,” defenseman Willie Mitchell said. “He pushes buttons at different times with different people. He makes you comfortably uncomfortable. That’s kind of his shtick.”

On Sunday, an off day for the Kings, Sutter was asked about the advantage of home ice and had reporters laughing with this retort: “The question yesterday was what was wrong with us at home.”

If Sutter doesn’t like a question, he’ll usually pair a facial contortion with an emphatic “Pardon!?”

Sutter loves to compete in verbal sparring, too. On Sunday, he took exception to a reporter’s statement that the Kings “continually” get behind in games and series, which is true.

The reporter gave examples. In this series, the Kings were down 1-0 in the series and 2-0 in Game 2 in which they came back to win. They were down twice in Game 3, too.

“OK, so we continually fall behind,” Sutter said with a healthy dose of sarcasm.

Sutter and his idiosyncratic ways had him explaining how they’re not really down just because the other team scores first. Imagine Sutter and Phil Jackson conversing over coffee.

Hours before a game, Sutter will even check the ice to make sure the lip of the surface wasn’t so high that it would cause his players to trip.

“I’m working underground with the league trying to help with their ice surfaces and boards,” Sutter said.

The guy drives a tractor on his farm in Canada, so don’t put it past him.

As far as his motivational skills, he’s all serious

“You try to be fair and honest,” Sutter said. “Sometimes, it’s not always good for the player based on ice time or something like that, but it’s always about what’s best for the group. And I think everyone understands that.”

After Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, in which the Kings won 4-3, Sutter was short and brief. He often acts like the losing coach after victories. A reporter who covers sports for an international outlet wondered on Twitter: “I’ve seen some shockers in pressers ... but who was that guy!??”

Sutter being Sutter. It’s the best way to explain him.

It was the reporter’s first time covering the Kings. He’ll get used to it. After a playoff win last year, Sutter went on and on about having to pay a lot of money for his eyeglasses because he didn’t have time to go to Costco.

Around here, we’re used to Sutter and his unpredictable behavior. He’s an intelligent coach, but his weird answers and farm background have some folks thinking Sutter is bizarre.

But it simply works.

“He’s good. He tells us exactly what he wants,” Kings star defenseman Drew Doughty said. “He’s the type of guy who tells you exactly how it is. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s a great coach. He knows exactly what we have to do to beat the other team. He expects a competitive edge and the hardest-working team from us.

“That’s the right thing. From there we have to let our skill take over.’’

Still, Doughty and some of his teammates have to work at maintaining their composure.

“I have to try not to chuckle,” Dougthy said. “I don’t want him to see me and get in trouble.”

The Kings aren’t in trouble with Sutter. He’s unconventional, but he’s a success.